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Thursday, 27 November 2014

Cloakroom are a three-piece emo/shoegaze/slowcore/post-rock band from Indiana that formed in 2012. The band includes singer/guitarist Doyle Martin, who was formerly in Grown Ups, as well as bassist Bobby Markos, who is also in Native. Cloakroom is quite different to its members other projects, though just as phenomenal. The band creates a monstrous instrumental sound, which is constructed by pounding drums, loud, distorted bass, and a massive, distorted, shimmering guitar sound that recalls the greats of shoegaze. Their droning, reverberated vocals sound downtrodden and apathetic, an essential to the slowcore aesthetic. They also utilize numerous dynamics, constantly switching between clean, quiet, and melodic sections to all-out powerful, noisy, fuzzed-out melancholy. Cloakrom consistently create amazing atmospheres that are equally depressing and euphoric. You could think of them as Pedro The Lion meets Jesu meets My Bloody Valentine meets Have A Nice Life, or something of the sort. Definitely check this band out if you're interested in more modern bands such as Whirr, as well as the current collection of Run For Cover bands that have been dominating lately, since Cloakroom are now a a part of that family. Their small discography up to this point is absolutely blistering, so enjoy!

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Four Year Strong are a four-piece (formerly five) pop punk/melodic hardcore band from Worcester, Massachusetts in 2001. Since then, they've become one of the most well-known pop punk bands of the past decade, and have toured with pretty much every band ever as well. They began quite young, since their band name is derived from their friendship in high school (they lasted for four years, strong). The term "easycore" is often used to describe them, meaning that they mix in heavier, hardcore-influenced breakdowns, and mosh-worthy double bass drum with the typical catchiness of pop punk. They also feature quite a lot of synth and keyboard parts, though they have slightly abandoned that in recent years. They write some insanely catchy songs, which are perfectly executed by the band's dual vocalists. A particular thing to note about this band is how their sound is constantly shifting from album to album, which is rare for a band in this genre to constantly try new things, but something definitely commendable to do. I'm sure most people reading this have heard of Four Year Strong, especially since they get a ton of requests and are so well-known. Below is all of their full-lengths, their cover album, EP's, demos and such. Obviously all their material is worth checking out, but I'd especially encourage you to listen to their early demos, since they are unexpectedly good. And if you're looking for one album to start with them, I'd go with Rise Or Die Trying, but it's ultimately up to personal opinion. Thanks to Jacob Shumaker for the help with this post, and enjoy!

Friday, 21 November 2014

Cruel Hand are a five-piece hardcore band from Portland, Maine that formed in 2006. Since they began, they've been keeping very active and have certainly set themselves apart with their unique style of hardcore. Their last.fm page puts it best, describing them as "equal parts New York hardcore and west coast thrash". They do still stick to the classic chug of Madball, they go beyond that as they go further into their career. Their intelligible vocals, hard rock attitude, and inclusion of guitar solos are just part of what defines them and has helped them garner such a large fan base that goes beyond hardcore purists. They've worked with labels such as 6131, Triple B, Bridge 9, and Hopeless. Also, if anyone has their Sound and Fury set, please send it to me! Cruel Hand have been requested forever, so here they finally are, enjoy!

Flowers Taped To Pens are a four-piece emo/screamo band from San Diego, California. The band both twinkly emo bits with screamed vocals, all done through a lo-fi recording sound. I suppose you could describe them as Tiny Moving Parts filtered through Teen Suicide, or something of the sort. Their sloppy, melodramatic sound is irresistible, and for an up-and-coming band have already put out a ton of good material. It quite literally sounds like the band cannot hold themselves together, and are rolling around on the floor in emotional anguish (which could literally be happening judging by pictures of their live shows). If you're into Merchant Ships and friends, this is probably a band you'll want to check out, though they are very much a unique-sounding band. Enjoy.

Thursday, 20 November 2014

Hey guys, sorry I've been pretty inactive this month, I've been really busy with school and such. So in return, here's a band that should have been on here years ago.

Orchid was a four-piece screamo band from Amherst, Massachusetts that were active from 1997-2002, although their influence goes far beyond their tenure. They released three full-lengths (as far as full-lengths go in their realm), as well as numerous splits with other notable bands such as Pig Destroyer and Jeromes Dream. Orchid's sound has become definitive of "screamo". Their punishingly fast, chaotic pace featuring shrieked, unintelligible vocals and dark, dissonant, grinding instrumentation has never been done as well as Orchid did, though has been a staple in many bands within the screamo genre to follow. Orchid also featured slower, quiet parts which often interrupted into frenzies, a dynamic that they had mastered. In addition, Orchid often showed off their intellectual side, making references to numerous figures, whether they be historical, political, or philosophical. I'm sure not much more needs to be said, except for "essential". Some of their members also play in other bands such as Ampere, Bucket Full Of Teeth, Wolves, and Panthers. Here's Orchid's discography, enjoy one of the best bands ever.

A Stubborn Reminder...

Please remember, not everything on here is supposed to be free. Enjoy to your heart's content, but if you can, please try and support these bands by purchasing records, going to shows, buying merch, anything if at all possible. Most of them could really use (and deserve) it.